by Jason Strunk
Lubbock High School Head Football Coach
Follow @WestTXCoach
Day 1
Football is finally here!
It seems so long ago that we ended, yet it seems to get here faster every year. Just like that we are back on the field and helmets are strapped on. It’s go time!
Day 1 Goals
You would love to hit the ground running and have everything installed on Day One. However, that is unrealistic. Therefore, you need to have clear goals and objectives as you open camp. Here are the things I am looking to accomplish on Day One:
1. Alignment – You cannot run any plays if you do not know how to align. So we begin teaching formations and defensive alignments on day one. There really is no other place to start.
2. Assignment – Once you know how to align we can begin to talk about what your assignment is. We are just simply breaking football down into its simplest elements.
3. Stance – Now that you know how to align and what your assignment is, we teach you how to attack and win the play by utilizing the proper stance for your position. We spend a ton of time on day one working stances. It is a must.
So there you have it: alignment, assignment, stance. The building blocks of what you do everyday in football. It is simple. Do not reinvent the wheel. Obviously, we are going to work ball handling, catching, conditioning etc. All of those are touched
upon, too.
This is a marathon, not a race. Pace yourself on Day One and ease everyone into the flow.
3 Things We Control
A lot of time in football things are out of your control. You face mismatches, bad weather and all the like. But there are certain elements of this game you DO control. You need to make sure your team understands these three areas.
1. Attitude – Yes, indeed. You control this. Your attitude is everything!
2. Effort – Nobody can control this but you. We preach this daily, in everything we do. No excuse not to give maximum effort!
3. Conditioning – Yes, you control this as a player and coach, and it goes into effort. We can be the best conditioned team on the field of we choose to do this. That is on us as a program.
Hammering home these three things is a must for your program. Control what you can control. We can go on for days with this, but this is just what I focus on. Many ways to skin a cat!
Mental Health
Tip of the day: take time every single day for your own health and well-being. It is essential. Do not let the wear and tear of the season collude your mind. Take time to clear your head and do something you enjoy, even if just for a few minutes.
Staying mentally healthy is good for your family, coaches and players. Do not compromise it!
Randomness
-Yanks officially folded the tent on 2016. Traded-off everyone. Ridiculous.
-New assistant coach, Nathan Slaughter, is an LHS grad. Also, he played in the NFL with the Cardinals and Jags. He also spent time in the CFL. He is a great addition to our staff.
-I recently saw the movie Concussion. I was hesitant to watch and basically wrote it off. But, somehow I ended up watching it. I have to say, it was a good movie. It was eye-opening and really makes you wonder about some things.
-After fours years on Twitter, I still do not understand what it so funny about parody accounts. Like the Evil Mike Tomlin account. It’s moronic. I know the person doesn’t exist and the real Mike Tomlin wouldn’t say that stuff. So it just makes me
wonder: Why?
-Speaking of Twitter, please put to bed the crying Jordan face.
-One thing I am very thankful for is being friends with Max Katwinkel. Kat is the HC at Lubbock Cooper and one of the best people I have ever known. We help each other in many ways. He is just simply one of the best!
That’s is all she wrote for this entry.
Day 2 tomorrow. Should be fun!
FIO.
